10 Things to Consider Before Getting a Dog

By Dr Duncan Houston

The important question before getting a dog is not simply whether you love dogs. It is whether your ordinary week, home and budget can support the particular dog you are considering.

A useful plan includes the inconvenient days: late meetings, wet mornings, holidays and unexpected changes. Work through these ten considerations before paying a deposit or promising to bring a dog home.

Quick Answer

Before getting a dog, confirm that you can provide daily care, suitable housing, companionship, training and ongoing veterinary support. Choose an individual whose needs fit your real circumstances, and arrange backup care before committing. If an essential part of the plan is unresolved, waiting is a responsible decision.

1. Map a normal working week

Write down when you leave home, return, sleep, commute and fulfil other caring responsibilities. Then identify who would provide meals, toilet outings, walks, play and company. A free weekend does not solve a weekday gap.

The American Veterinary Medical Association's dog-selection guidance emphasises matching a dog's needs with the household and arranging care during absences. Put names beside tasks rather than relying on “someone will do it”.

2. Budget beyond the purchase or adoption fee

Separate your budget into setup costs, recurring costs and money available for unexpected expenses. Ask local providers for current prices instead of using a single online lifetime estimate.

• Setup: suitable walking equipment, bowls, bedding, barriers and transport arrangements.
• Recurring: food, grooming, training, veterinary care and any paid walking or sitting.
• Occasional: boarding, replacement equipment and changes in care needs.

The RSPCA pet cost calculator can prompt categories you have missed, but your actual quotes and circumstances matter. Decide which costs are affordable before choosing a dog whose care depends on them.

3. Check the home as it actually works

Check housing permission and applicable local requirements directly. Do not assume that a neighbour owning a dog establishes permission for your tenancy or building.

Walk through the practical details: getting outside for toileting, using shared entrances, storing supplies and providing a quiet resting place. If there are stairs, lifts or narrow access points, consider how the particular dog and its handler would manage them. A garden is useful space, but it does not replace companionship or activities together.

4. Choose an individual, not an image

Coat, size and breed history can inform your questions, but a photograph cannot show how a dog fits your household. Ask the current carer about daily activity, rest, grooming, handling and experience with the situations the dog would encounter with you.

The RSPCA's matching guidance considers the individual animal alongside the prospective owner's lifestyle and experience. Describe your circumstances honestly, including limits. Saying that you cannot manage a particular need helps everyone make a better match.

5. Compare puppy and adult-dog responsibilities

A puppy brings a substantial teaching and supervision commitment. An adult dog may have established skills, but those skills and their history should be checked rather than assumed.

Ask what the dog already knows, how it has lived and what support it may need during the change of home. Avoid treating either age group as an automatic shortcut. Plan for learning together, and ask what follow-up help the breeder or rehoming organisation provides.

6. Agree on household responsibilities

Everyone who shares the home needs a realistic chance to discuss the decision. Adults should retain responsibility for care even when children are enthusiastic helpers.

Make a short written agreement covering who buys supplies, handles appointments, cleans up, walks the dog and checks the daily plan has happened. Discuss resting spaces and household rules in advance. With existing pets, ask for an introduction plan suited to those particular animals rather than promising they will naturally become friends.

7. Make room for humane training

Training is part of everyday care, not something reserved for a dog that has done something wrong. Allow time for teaching the behaviours your home needs, such as coming when called or settling while you work.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends reward-based methods. When comparing classes, ask how the trainer teaches a new skill, what happens when a dog struggles and whether you can observe a session. Avoid choosing on dramatic before-and-after videos alone.

8. Organise veterinary care and records

Choose a veterinary practice you can reach, ask about registration and find out where its out-of-hours care is provided. Ask the dog's current carer for existing medical and identification records so the practice can advise on the next steps.

This is a planning task, not a reason to select treatments from a general checklist. Your veterinarian can discuss the individual dog's ongoing care. Keep clinic details somewhere a backup carer can find them.

9. Investigate where the dog comes from

Allow time to ask questions and review records. A reputable conversation should help you understand the animal and the ongoing responsibility, rather than pressure you to make an immediate payment.

Dogs Trust's buyer guidance recommends researching breeders, visiting puppies with their mother and checking relevant paperwork. Its legal details are UK-specific; verify local requirements where you live. If adopting, ask about the organisation's matching process, known history, ongoing support and what happens if difficulties arise.

10. Plan for change, not just the first month

Consider travel, changes in working hours, moving home and your own ability to provide care. Identify a backup person and discuss the arrangement with them before relying on it.

Write a simple handover sheet with routines, contact details and where supplies are kept. Review the plan when circumstances change. A long-term commitment needs practical flexibility as well as enthusiasm.

Common mistakes

• Choosing first and trying to solve housing or care gaps afterwards.
• Budgeting for food but overlooking services and unexpected costs.
• Expecting children to carry the full responsibility.
• Assuming a puppy, adult dog or particular breed guarantees an easy fit.
• Accepting pressure to decide before questions have been answered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have a dog if I work full time?

Employment alone does not answer the question. Map the actual care gaps and check whether reliable support can meet the individual dog's needs.

Is an adult dog always easier than a puppy?

No. An adult may have useful established skills, but needs vary. Ask about that dog's history and support requirements.

Should I get a dog as a surprise gift?

The future owner should be part of choosing and committing to the dog. A surprise can leave crucial questions about care, suitability and consent unanswered.

What if I am nearly ready but have one unresolved problem?

Resolve an essential housing, budget or care problem first. Waiting gives you time to make a workable arrangement instead of asking the dog to live with a gap.

Make the decision on paper first

Before committing, write down your weekly care plan, local costs, household agreement and backup arrangement. Then compare them with the needs of the dog you have actually met. The right decision is one you can sustain after the excitement of the first day.

ASK A VET™ supports thoughtful preparation for life with a pet. Keep your questions and care arrangements together so your household can start with a clear, shared plan.